Ford Everest 2024 review: Sport

There are four grades for the Everest range and our model on test this week is the Sport 4WD, which sits second from the top in the line-up. Which means it’s priced from $72,490, before on-road costs, and sits second from the top compared to its rivals.

Features 12-inch multimedia touchscreen.

The most affordable rival is the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport Exceed 4WD for $60,690 MSRP, then the Isuzu MU-X LS-U $61,400 MSRP and the Toyota LandCruiser Prado VX sits at $76,848 MSRP; all of these models have similar specs and that highly coveted third row for families.

The Sport 4WD model comes with some lovely features, like leather-accented upholstery, powered front seats with heat and ventilation functions, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and built-in satellite navigation.

Some lovely features, like leather-accented upholstery.

Technology is rounded out with a 12-inch multimedia touchscreen, an 8.0-inch digital instrument cluster and a wireless charging pad.

Other standard features include keyless entry, push-button start, side puddle lamps, full-suite LED lights, front fog lights and DRLs, dual-zone climate control and a full-size spare wheel.

The biggest issue I have with the cabin’s practicality is getting in and out, which comes down to the 226mm ground clearance. But that is 100 per cent a user issue!

The side-steps and grab handles are a must have and my seven-year old needed them, too. No doubt, you'll be helping younger kids into their seats.

Besides the tall trucky-ness, the cabin in the first two rows feels roomy with ample leg- and headroom for my 168cm height. It's only when you venture into the third row that legroom is compromised for an adult, although access to this row is still very good.

All seats are rather firm and there's not stacks of under-thigh support in any row but the front seats are powered with additional lumbar support as well as heat and ventilation functions which adds dramatically to comfort on a long trip.

Amenities and storage are pretty good in all three rows. The front has two glove boxes, a shallow-ish middle console, phone holder, big storage bins and drink bottle holders in each door, two permanent cupholders and, my personal faves, a pair of retractable cupholders in the dashboard and a sunglasses holder.

In the middle row there are map pockets, drink bottle holders in each door and two retractable cupholders in the fold-down armrest. There aren't any luxury features but the roof-mounted directional air vents and fan control is appreciated by my kid.

The third row gets two shallow and skinny cupholders and the left-hand side also features a long but thin nook, which may be for a tech device. There are also roof-mounted directional air vents and reading lights.

Technology is found in each row and looks good while still being useful. The vertical 12-inch touchscreen multimedia system is easy enough to use but it takes a while to get used to its positioning.

It sits lower than I'd like and isn't angled towards the driver which makes accessing controls that have been embedded in the screen, like seat functions and air-flow direction, a bit of a pain while on the go.

The wireless Apple CarPlay is easy to connect to but dropped out twice during our test. There is also Android Auto for those users and built-in satellite navigation.

The charging options are very good throughout the car with the first rows getting a USB-A and USB-C port. The front also gets a wireless charging pad and a 12-volt socket. While the third row and boot feature a 12-volt socket each.

The boot space is mostly user-friendly but because the boot lip sits quite high it can be annoying to load heavier items in or fit a top-tether strap.

Capacity is good and with the third row in use. You get 259L of storage, which is adequate for a smaller grocery run but that capacity jumps up to 898L when the third row is stored.

There is a small space underneath the floor that could house your manual and log book, if you wanted to free up your glove box. This model has a powered tailgate function.

The Ford Everest Sport on test is the four-wheel drive variant and has a 3.0L V6 turbo-diesel engine that produces a power output of 184kW and 600Nm of torque.

The Everest Sport has a 3.0L V6 turbo-diesel engine.

That hefty power supports the 3.5-tonne braked towing capacity this model has, meaning you can have your weekend adventures and haul the family around, too.

It's big but is it thirsty? The answer is, sometimes.

The official combined cycle fuel consumption figure is 8.5L/100km. But after a fair bit of travel, consisting of mostly open-road driving, my real-world average came in at 7.6L/100km, which is amazing for such a massive car.

In fact, I had to triple check my figures to make sure I had calculated it correctly!

During urban trips the on-board read-out sits closer to 15L/100km, which is something to consider if you're an urban dweller.

Based on the official combined cycle number and large 80-litre fuel tank, you should see a theoretical driving range of 941km, which is good for road tripping families.

The Ford Everest comes with a bunch of standard safety systems like blind-spot monitoring, lane keeping assist, lane departure alert, driver monitoring alert, adaptive cruise control, intelligent seatbelt reminders, rear cross-traffic alert plus a 360-degree view camera system with front and rear parking sensors.

The Everest has a total of nine airbags, which is great for the class, including a front centre airbag and curtain airbags that cover all three rows.

It has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing done in 2022. It scored highly across all four of ANCAP's individual criteria with the child protection score at 93 per cent.

The Everest has AEB with forward collision warning which is operational for pedestrian and cyclist detection from 5.0-80km/h and 4.0-180km/h for car detection.

There are ISOFIX child-seat mounts on the middle row outboard positions and a total of five top-tether anchor points. You can easily fit five child seats, which is great for families with lots of tots.

However, when a 0-4 rearward facing child seat is installed in the middle row, front passenger space has to be adjusted but I still have enough space for my height.